Detective David Lewinsky was not the type to overwork himself on cases.
It wasn't as if he didn't care or anything, but he found out over the course of years that he worked for the ADPD that it was better you didn't get heavily invested in your job or you'd end up regret it.
When Lewinsky saw his first dead body, he puked like many before him. But while the puke eventually died down with more consecutive crime scenes, the horror eating at his soul every time he saw the worst Sentient-Kind had to offer never left.
So despite being quite renowned in his field, he eventually sank into deskwork and handling petty crimes as a way to avoid the problem.
His wife didn't mind. Mrs. Lewinsky was always glad to find a non-depressed Mr. Lewinsky coming home to hear her stories about the women at her book club. Like how the one Water Fairy who was leading the reading through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was spending too much time pointing out how human perception of magical beings had changed since the Old Ages.
"Nobody needs to know that silly crap." she would say. "It's not like humans were being racist, they were genuinely unaware beings like us existed, no need to hound on them for it. This isn't the Homunculi movement or anything."
It was genuinely nice to hear his wife chatter on without worry, especially given the trauma their family suffered a year ago.
Lewinsky was one of the Lizardfolk. A race of reptilian beastmen known for their tremendous strength, hard scales and calm demeanors.
To be specific, he was a Komodo Dragon type Lizardfolk. While possessing a fit and muscular humanoid body, his fingers were clawed, his skin a swamp green layer of hard scales. His head was a long snout with a flickering forked tongue, and his mouth filled with sharp teeth that in spite of all his brushing and trips to the dentist, were filled with a dangerous bacteria that could result in a fatal bite.
This whole form culminated in one of his most lethal weapons as one of the largest lizardfolk next to the Dinosaur varieties, a huge sweeping tail capable of knocking a troll's feet out from under him in mere seconds.
Other than that, he dressed like any other ADPD detective. Long trench coat, with a cut down the middle so his tail could go through, plaid shirt, long pants where a gun holster could seen on his belt along with modified rubber gloves for crime scenes. His police badge hung from neck strap that bumbled around on his chest whenever he had to run after perps, which he hated as a slow moving Komodo Dragon.
Detective Lewinsky's large clawed fingers tapped on his pen with boredom as he paused over a blank line on his paperwork, which was messily strewn across the dented metal desk in the department, his lazing yellow reptilian eyes blinking over and over to try and get over his drowsiness.
"Robbery was therefore carried out by-." Lewinsky muttered, tapping his pen over and over. "by- aghh, what was it again?"
"Gettin' enough sleep ya big dinosaur!? Hahaha!"
Lewinsky's partner, Detective Velvo, grinned at Lewinsky from behind the large slow moving desk fan that did nothing for the room that had been cooled by the brisk temperatures of Halloween.
Velvo was a halfling. In other words, like all halflings, he possessed a full belly, a short stature of 3 feet, shoeless feet which had thick hair on the bottom that functioned as soles, and curly brown hair over a jovial pug nosed face.
He wore an ordinary buttoned down blue shirt under a set of overalls, which seemed outlandish next to his badge and gun.
Lewinsky often thought the two of them were a comical pair. A 9 foot tall scaled mountain next to one of Santa's elves. A buddy cop movie just waiting to happen. But it wasn't as if the two of them ever really got into a big amount of trouble.
"Give me a break. "Lewinsky grumbled. "It's the cold season with winter well on the way. I'm a cold blooded reptile."
"Lizardfolk aren't cold blooded like your simpleton look-a-likes." said Velvo as he pulled a few files off his considerably neater and cleaner desk. "It's lack of sleep I'm telling ya. When's the last time you took a good 7 hours?"
"Hmmm, maybe last month? The Chief's really been piling on the work load." Muttered Lewinsky.
"Ha! Sure, taking in that mad Halloween Prankster was work! It's the thirty-first century Dave! Nobody works overtime anymore unless the automatons have broken down! Just upload the info into the computer and let those metal trashcans take care of the tough stuff!"
"I prefer pencil and paper." said Lewinsky as he continued to scribble over the paperwork. "Adds a personal touch."
"Yeah, and while you're up here adding personal touches to the most boring crimes on planet earth your wife's sitting at home waiting at home worried sick that you got shot in a gang war or something." said Velvo.
"Hmmm, you might have a point." Muttered Lewinsky. "Maybe I should let the Autos handle it."
But just as Lewinsky was considering dumping his paperwork over at the android division at the back of the police department, somebody familiar stepped between the desks.
A lazy looking man with a slender body and almost feminine features to his face and the telltale pointed ears of an elf, wearing a winter coat and holding a mug of coffee stepped into Lewinsky's periphreal vision.
"Yo, sorry guys, chief says all units that are available gotta head for Sloane Street off of Westbrook." said the elf in a lazy drone.
"What for!? c'mon Ted! It's Halloween, my kids wanna go trick'o'treatin' with me this year and my wife's gonna glare daggers at me if I'm late!"
"Ease off it Velvo, it's still like, half past noon." muttered Ted. "Just telling you what the chief said, don't shoot the messenger."
"Sure." said Lewinsky. "We'll get on it."
"I swear if its another school shooting." Muttered Velvo.
"Lets just get there in one piece." muttered Lewinsky. "Elvish Mob activity's spiked since last week for some reason."
The pitch black Model T police cruiser was already ready in the parking lot by the time Lewinsky and his partner got outside. A sleek looking car with white glowing slits for headlights, the car's features seemed to possess an almost cloak and dagger feel if it weren't for the red and blue police lights on either mirror.
As Lewinsky got into the driver's seat, the sights and sounds of Atlantis Delta met his eyes.
Towering corporate run skyscrapers shone like mirrors against dim gray rain clouds that wrapped the city's skyscape today.
The other buildings came of all shapes and sizes. Some were concrete apartment buildings, others were strange buildings made of stones imbedded with magic runes, probably run by Fairy Shelters.
Cars bustled through the streets, accompanied by the occasional taxi, and beings of all races and shapes and sizes traversed the streets going about their day.
"They say the Carbon Count in the atmosphere's gone down quite a bit today!" said Velvo as Lewinsky carefully drove and merged into traffic. "like they say 3 or 2 percent more and we could be looking at a completely Clear Climate! Can't believe we've reached this point after just a century of atmospheric enchanting."
"Hmmm, its good news, but that means plenty of people are gonna be out of a job." said Lewinsky. "I have a cousin whose a water fairy who works a cleaning crew over in New York Alpha, near the Statue of Liberty. She doesn't know what she's going to do come Clean Planet Day."
"Oh look! That's a rare sight." said Velvo, pointing at a crosswalk as they stopped for a red light.
A man, woman, and their daughter were crossing the street. No pointed ears, scales, odd appendages, magic fairy markings or anything.
"A pure human family, not often you see those nowadays." muttered Lewinsky.
"Eh who knows, they probably got mixed blood even though they're outwardly human." said Velvo. "Like your wife right?"
"Cassie's about only 20 percent Cat Beast Man and she's got the ears though, even if they've only got a bit mixed in, it should show in some way." muttered Lewinsky. "Think they're Purists?"
"If they are I hope they aren't part of the radical denomination." said Velvo. "It'd be awkward for that little girl if we had to arrest those parents one day. Oh! Green light! GPS is sayin' we gotta go right off Townstone road."
"Townstone? Hmmm never been down that way before." Muttered Lewinsky. "That's the upperclass neighborhood ain't it?"
When they came upon the crime scene, it was already taped off. Lewinsky couldn't remember the last time he was at such a fancy house.
The mansion was built in an old Victorian style with windows taller than he was. The wood so exquisitely and expertly carved, that just looking at the handrailing which was shaped into the likeness of the extinct dragons gave Lewinsky chills that said blatantly "You could sell your entire apartment complex and you still wouldn't be able to afford part of that stairwell. "
"Jesus." Lewinsky grunted. "If I could get Cassie one of these she'd flip."
"What's it look like in there?" asked Velvo, looking at a coroner dressed in a white jumpsuit and gloves, who judging by the green tribal markings on her face, was a Wind Fairy.
"World's about to take a nosedive boys." said the coroner with a shake of her head. "Once you see whose in there, oh man."
"Whose the victim?" Lewinsky asked.
"Take a look for yourself! You might need a chair once you see it." said the coroner.
Shrugging at Velvo, Lewinsky ducked under the tape and proceeded up the front steps before opening the door.
The main hall of the house was as anybody expected in a fancy mansion. Balconies lining the ceiling from the top floor, with a large staircase descending towards the front door.
What you didn't expect to see however, was the tall handsome elf with an old crown in a golden bathrobe lying dead upon the floor, a gunshot wound in the center of his forehead.
"The heck?!" said Velvo. "That's Rs' Vera! The Elven heir to the Old Forest, leader of the Elvish mob! One of the big bosses! Who would be bold enough to kill that old fart!?"
"Told ya." said the coroner with a nod. "Elemency and Alchemy spells already have a time of death at around the 27th. The home's very private, so it's feasable that nobody noticed for those days, however something doesn't add up."
"What do you mean?" Lewinsky said as he pulled on his gloves over his large reptilian hands.
" blood spatter, everything's consistent, nailed properly to look like the death took place here, but take a look at the number tattooed on his chest."
"Yep, I heard he was a former Monster member." said Lewinsky. "Your point is that it couldn't have been this easy to kill him?"
"Yeah, I think the Assassin's guild carried off a hit on one of their own, and if they did-."
"Smart." said Lewinsky. "It is possible to do that, and not to mention if they sent another one of the Monsters after him, they would have the know how and connections to move the entire crime scene after words. But in that case there should be signs that we wouldn't normally look for if we weren't aware it was the Assassin's guild. Got anything on that front?"
"Several things." said the coroner. "The bullet we found had partially dissolved in his head, and after we knew what we were looking for, we found that the bullet used a mana deposit in a frontal compartment to do that to itself."
"The Assassin Guild's textbook method of obliterating weapon evidence." said Lewinsky. "Was the weapon legendary?"
"Lewinsky, Legendary Swords, Axes, Bows and Spears I can believe, but a Legendary Mythical Gun? What did King Arthur wield an M16?" said the coroner.
"You're smart, but you're still new to the field aren't you?" asked Velvo.
"W-well." The coroner blushed slightly. "I- maybe, why?"
"Nowadays, legendary weapons are being melted down and used in modern-day weapons." said Lewinsky. "It's a pretty large black market operation. For one, the sword of Perseus was rebuilt as a Deltoid Model Arc 9 Revolver. Sure it can still control storms and weather and stuff, but instead of slashing people, it fires storms wrapped around a bullet. Deadlier, more efficient, and ultimately a catastrophic gun of mass destruction."
"Oh shit." said the coroner with a shake of her head. "The things people do with magic nowadays."
"They almost did the same thing to Excalibur during that robbery heist of the Smithsonian a few years back. Luckily they busted the chop shop which took the sword." said Velvo. "I heard the chop shop was tryin' to reforge the sword into a minigun. The nerve."
"Well if you're looking for legendary weapon databases that detail mythical weapons that excrete evidence destroying acid, I can certainly ask the boss to take a look." said the coroner.
"Please do." said Lewinsky with a sigh. "This is probably gonna be a long one. Hell, Rs'Vera Lord of Elves, who would've thought?"
"Yeah, and chances are we might have to drop the case. Remember the charter of the Assassin's guild? Everythin's legal long as they're not caught, stupid damn rule in my opinion." said Velvo. "The twisted part is most of their operatives are damn kids. Don't even live past their 18th birthday."
"Job's high risk but high reward. Parents who are down on their luck let their kids work the Assassin's guild because of the immensely high income from successful jobs." said Lewinsky as he bent over the dead elf, using his gloved hands to search for pockets on the robe. "Kids are high demand thanks to their innocence. Nobody expects a teenager in a school uniform to stick a knife into you. Kids are the victims after all, all those school shootings."
"Yeah I guess." said Velvo. "Still, like I said, it's twisted."
Lewinsky eyed the body, heavily focused. It had been a long time since he had been at a major crime scene like this. In a twisted way he felt nostalgic as all his detecting skills began to pull off the covers, drink a bit of coffee and stretch their legs after their long nap.
This job was done quite well. Professionally masterful in any investigator's opinion. No traces of fibers, hairs, or anything biologically significant. Not even anything that would help mana trackers.
Lewinsky figured this poor kid, if he or she was indeed a kid, probably had to be trained pretty harshly to be able to turn into such a professional at such a young age.
"Whose the head investigator on this job?" Lewinsky muttered. "Karbowski? Samuels? Ellen?"
"You." said the coroner.
Lewinsky's jaw dropped as he turned his head rapidly to look at Velvo.
"This is news to me too mate." said Velvo. "Chief say why the big Lizard's got it?"
"Lewinsky's had experience with cases involving the Assassin's guild before, or so the Chief says." said the coroner.
"I wouldn't say that." muttered Lewinsky. "I've investigated a few crime scenes related to a few of the Monsters, Number 7 and Number 9. But other than that I didn't come off with anything else except some knowledge of their MOs."
"Well you're the only one with experience on these matters. Karbowski's busy with other cases, and the other detectives are too green around the gills for the chief." said the coroner.
Lewinsky's lizard face fell into a frown. He wasn't sure he was going to appreciate getting back into gruesome crime scenes and investigations into dangerous groups. Then again, it was as Velvo said. In United States, the Assassin's Guild was sanctioned by the UN as a necessary agency to deal with the most troublesome enemies outside the legal limit. As such, the guild could continue to operate, and any operatives who were caught in the field were automatically disavowed.
And in the rare instance that one was caught, they either committed suicide to protect their guild's secrets, or they disappeared soon after never to be found.
Lewinsky definitely wasn't expecting to find any results.
Lewinsky blinked, there was something shimmering just under the robe of the Elven lord.
It was red, shaped like a guitar pick, but also light on the edges, like a feather. Yet Lewinsky could tell even before he touched it that no bullet or conventional weapon could pierce it under ordinary circumstances.
"Dragon scale." said Lewinsky as he used a tweezer from his pocket forensics kit to pick the scale up.
"Eh? You gotta be kidding me, dragons are extinct right? Probably a Mermaid scale or-." Velvo began to say.
"No, this is his MO, Monster 7." said Lewinsky. "He's good, very good, a veteran of the trade actually. But he's always been bad about hiding dislocated scales. Dragon's scales are harder than diamond, perfectly impact resistant, and yet when one sheds off, this durability allows them to last for eons, makes them perfect for crafting legendary weapons. I bet he used an acid based solution to dissolve all of his biological residue or mana residue. But of course it couldn't dissolve the scale. He made a mistake, and it's only happened one other time."
"What mistake?" asked Velvo.
"Usually he finishes his assassinations no fuss, no noise, not even a trace, but there was one time where his quarry managed to fight back and he had to block a devastating attack by layering his skin in dragon scales. That was the point where I found this scale the first time. 7 probably had a talk with our Elf friend here who used to be part of his guild. And the exchange ended in a confrontation which dislodged a scale." said Lewinsky.
"So we're looking for Monster 7 whose a-?" said the coroner.
"Like I said, he's a dragon, ain't no way this scale belongs to anything else. " said Lewinsky.
"I think we'd notice a big slithering-" the Coroner began
"That's a misconception." said Velvo. "Dragons were not big lumbering beasts. Well not most of the time. They're humanoid like most of us are. But when they want to, they can turn into large serpents with scales and claws and teeth like the legends. Knights hunted them to near extinction using blades made of Holy Iron, the only thing back in ancient times capable of doing what only a tank rifle can do now."
"So the question remains, where is he now?" said Lewinsky.
"If he even is a dragon." said Velvo with a roll of his eyes.
However even with that scoff, Lewinsky wasn't listening. He was eyeing the red scale in his claws with a newfound interest.
That night, Lewinsky came home late at 10 pm. His wife was already waiting up for him, he could tell from the light of the window in the brick apartment building that she owned as landlord
As soon as he was able to drag his tired limbs up the steps to the top balcony where the old familiar wooden door lay, he began contemplating the delicious cooking that was hopefully wrapped and waiting for him on the kitchen counter.
He opened the door to his living room to find a beautiful petite woman with long cat ears peeking out from her brown chestnut colored medium length hair sitting on the couch, wearing a bathrobe.
Her face was youthful and filled with the beauty of a girl in her prime, her face the smooth pink skin of a human, her slender petite form seemed like a foil to her husband, the massive scaly lizard man. But Lewinsky knew her to be a type attracted more to inner beauty than appearances, one of things he loved about her.
"Cassie, I can explain." Lewinsky said.
"No need, it was all over the news. The Lord of the Elves dead." said Cassie with kind smile. "Dear me, I had to expect they would be calling you for overtime."
"Well that's not the only thing." said Lewinsky. "They're making me head the investigation."
Cassie's smile slipped away. "Oh, well David that's-."
"I know. If you're worried I'll come in the next day and request to be taken off." said Lewinsky.
"N-no it's fine. Normally the Assassin's Guild gets off scot free and the department gets away with nothing." said Cassie. "I'm sure it'll be fine, as long as you don't stay out too late."
"I'll try." said Lewinsky as he took off his coat and hung it on the old wooden rack nearby before rubbing his hands together and moving towards the dining table. "Waiting till I got back to eat?"
"Of course you know me." said Cassie as she took the wrapped plates she had set aside on the kitchen counter. "Set the table, don't forget to call Lily down for-.. "
Cassie froze, just as she set down the third plate, her hands trembling for a moment.
Lewinsky sighed, his heart turned heavy as pain enveloped his innards like a cold fist.
He took the small woman in his arms and brushed her feline ears gently. "It's okay, I know. Next time I'll set the table okay?"
"Y-yeah." said Cassie. "Right."
Lewinsky took the plate from Cassie's trembling hands and set the dining table for two.
"Howabout a movie night?" Lewinsky asked. "We'll watch some of the Old World classics? The super old timey films, like the MCU ones. Ya love Robert Downy Jr!"
"I do. " said Cassie before kissing the big Komodo Dragon on his snout. "But not as much as I love you."
Lewinsky felt his cold pain give way to spreading warmth as Cassie's kiss sent him to high heaven. "Heheheh! I'll get the Blu-ray! You just sit tight!!"
And with that, Detective Lewinsky ended that day feeling like a real hero.
Rain.
It pelted over her black umbrella as she gripped its handle tightly in her slender and graceful hand.
She was high school age by the standards of human anatomy, just barely so. But by the standards of dragons, she was but an infant. She had been alive for 80 years just about. Sometimes she wondered if like the tales, she hatched from an egg, but she could never tell.
Not that she ever thought much about that. Her age was merely an estimation. She didn't know her birthday. The people who raised her never bothered to express any sentiment on that. Not like it was required.
She was a tool and she was used to execute jobs. That was all.
That was what she was raised for, that was all she needed to be remembered for, if any even chose to remember her in the first place.
She was a shadow who didn't exist. Her fingerprints didn't show up on any database, and her face was an enigma.
Seven was the only name she knew because it was the only one she was ever given.
And here she now stood at a bus stop in New York city, rain pelting down on her black umbrella, dressed in a black coat over a school uniform so she wouldn't look suspicious given her appearance.
A man in a large dark coat, his face obscured by his fedora as he stepped forward as he seemed to coincidentally end up standing next to her, waiting for the bus with his own umbrella.
"You messed up back there Seven." The man muttered in undertone.
"I know." said Seven quietly.
"You let your emotions get the best of you. That's not how you were trained. If you let personal bias affect your job, not only does that leave a chance of compromising the operation, but it leaves you wide open to manipulation by the enemy.
"The Elven Mob is not an ordinary target." said the man. "if they know who you are they will retaliate. And then we won't be able to help you. If they come after you, you're on your own."
"I understand as much." said Seven. "So I take it this is about my next job?
"As it would appear, our client doesn't like loose ends, and has taken a certain liking to your efficiency. So his next job is in fact quite beneficial to both of us." said the man. "Detective David Levinsky is currently the head to the case involving the death of the Elvish Lord. He has had experience involving another one of your jobs, one in which you left behind similar evidence."
"You want me to kill him?" asked Seven. "I thought we didn't take innocent targets."
"Secrecy is more important than clean hands Ms. Seven. We taught you that. Bury your morals, earn your keep."
"Very well then." said Seven. "Consider him dead by tomorrow."
"I will leave you to prepare. A school fieldtrip to the police department is happening I might add. If you wish, we will leave a request for a Delvarty School Uniform with the Prepper."
"That would be swell." said Seven.
The man smiled a little before stepping away and walking off into the rain. "You're the best Seven, always were. Don't disappoint us."
Seven returned home quite easily after that. Not like she ever had a home to begin with. She stayed in hotel after hotel, that was the nature of the job.
Go out into the world, and when the ESP Agency contacted you, you answered.
So the term home only meant whatever building the Agency was associated with. Like this one. The Avarante Restaurant.
It looked like any fancy five star restaurant. Beautiful tables, arching windows, servers in black and white uniforms, and a podium up front from which somebody noted their reservations.
"Reservation?" A tall water fairy, noted by the slight blue markings on her cheeks and forhead as well as the fins where her ears would be, dressed a long black gown, greeted her at the podium as she slid her umbrella into the slot on the wall.
"Yes, the table with the Steak and salad, animal style, made extra lean for an extra refined lady." said Seven in response.
"This way."
Seven followed the woman between the tables until they came to a set of double doors.
The fairy inserted her keys and unlocked the door, ushering Seven in quickly before closing the door behind them.
Lights clicked on to reveal a wall covered in racks filled with guns, tactical body armor, casual-to-noncasual suits, and a few beautiful dresses.
"As we understand, the lady's skin is already nigh bullet proof, so as such you are looking for a course with better movement rather than endurance to the taste." said the woman as she searched through the clothing first.
"Yes, a dragon's skin even without her scales cannot be pierced by normal bullets." said Seven. "I'll be going on a fieldtrip, I take it you already received the Agency's request?"
"Indeed. The Lady's dinner wear will consist of a school blazer, red. And a skirt, grey. The socks and blazer have been specially stitched at the seams with enchanted Sea Serpent fibers to create flexibility and stretchability. This will give the Lady free movement without fear for wear and tear." said the fairy as she laid the clothes down on the table in the center of the room.
"Perfect." said Seven. "Appetizers?"
"Somebody is a fan of John Wick I presume?" said the woman with a smile.
"I appreciate the finer tastes when it comes to speaking of my work." said Seven. "I have no interest in half baked movies from a bygone era.
The woman brought out two pistols. One was gold with black highlights and a dark silver colored silencer on the end, the other was sleek and pitch black, with a pointed conical barrel, looking every bit like a gun from a scifi flick.
"The first weapon used to be Durandal. It was a sword that would never break owned by Roland of the Paladins of Charlamange. Now it is Destro, a gun that is likewise unbreakable, with bullets that can travel at any distance and won't stop till they pierce a target completely.
"Wouldn't this be better as a sniper?" muttered Seven as she picked the golden gun up, cocked it, and then aimed it in both hands, testing the gun's specs.
"We considered it, but a sniper if far less concealable, and the bullets would travel the same distance regardless. We felt a high accuracy, power, and distance pistol would give the user a bit more utility. Also the bullet travels in a straight line no matter the wind resistance or weather, only stopping till its bullet has hit a living thing, so I would be quite cautious since there's a chance you might hit an unintended target all the way in China."
"This one?" asked Seven, putting down Destro and picking up the black space-gun looking pistol, cocking it and aiming it as well. "I like the feel on this one."
"A standard Swat Team issued Stun Pistol. Nothing too unusual about it. It fires long distance high voltage electricity. Good for nonlethal attacks that drop your intended targets instantly." said the fairy. "The electricity is also quick, owing to the fact that nothing really outspeeds lightning, so you can count on instantaneous hits. "
"Its nonlethal? Why would I ever need this?" asked Seven.
"We find that being able to dispatch witnesses can be quite useful." said the woman with a bow.
"True enough." said Seven. "Main course?"
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Was the lady perhaps expecting an assault rifle or missile launcher? Just how much does an assassin need for a silent kill?"
Seven opened her mouth, then closed it, her normally cold outershell pierced by a slight blush in her cheeks. Truth be told, she did watch plenty of John Wick.
"I know it's unrealistic, I just liked the way they related guns to food." said Seven with a sigh. "Looking for enjoyment in one's work is in fact necessary for a fulfilled life is it not?"
"An assassin of the agency seeking enjoyment, never have I heard more foreign words from a normal assassin. However from you, as usual, it is expected Lady Seven." said the woman, winking at Seven. "Consider the stun gun the appetizer and Destro the main course. For dessert however I have creme of the crop."
The woman held up five black shurikans, their surfaces gleaming. "Tactical nanoweave shurikan equipped with mind command invisibility enchantments. They will turn invisible to the eye as well as undetectable by any metal detectors whenever the owner commands them. And to top it off, they return to the owner after a set amount of time, notably 5 seconds. So no need for worrying about running out. Actually I would prefer you not lose these. The price for one of these can buy an entire house."
"Expensive, cool looking and efficient, my three favorite things." said Seven without a hint of a smile in spite of what she said. "You've outdone yourself Verity."
Verity smiled and bowed. "We live to please Lady Seven. Will that be all? Shall I have these delivered directly to your hotel room?"
"Yes." said Seven. "I take it ammo will be included.
"As always." said Verity with a nod. "Thank you again for choosing the Avarante for all your Agency's needs.
"Nice." Seven nodded and made to leave.
"Oh, and Lady Seven?" said Verity.
Seven turned back to look at Verity one last time. "Yes?"
Verity smiled knowingly, her eyes glowing with pride in the assassin before her. "Happy Hunting.. "